March 28 Meeting Highlights

Grey County Council met on Thursday, March 28 at 9:30 a.m. in the Council Chamber. The council meeting was immediately followed by a session of committee of the whole. A recording of these meetings can be found on the County’s YouTube Channel.

County Council

• Council accepted the minutes of the March 14 County Council and Committee of the Whole meetings.  Council  Committee
• Council accepted the minutes of the March 12 Long-Term Care Committee of Management meeting.  Minutes

Committee of the Whole

• Hugh Simpson and Mike Ryan from the Grey County Federation of Agriculture and Ben Lefort from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture spoke to council about the property tax rate for farms. Agriculture is a major sector in the local economy. Rising farm values are increasing agriculture’s share of the overall property assessment in the County. The Federation asked Council to consider reducing the farm property tax rate. Presentation
• Council discussed the farm tax rate and passed a motion asking staff to include the impacts of reducing the farm tax rate in the upcoming tax policy report. It will be presented at the next meeting on April 11.
• Council approved the deferral of development charges for two projects in Owen Sound. Instead of collecting the fees when the building permit is issued, the fees will be collected when the builds are completed. Planning staff will bring back a report recommending changes to the Development Charges By-Law. Updates will give developers incentives to build more affordable and attainable housing. Report
• Council approved a short-term loan policy that will help non-profit housing providers build more affordable housing.  Report
• Grey County will hire Dr. James Doran to consult on the development of the Sydenham Campus community hub. Dr. Doran has experience with Innovation Guelph and the Henry Bernick Centre in Barrie. Report
• Council approved a tender for road line painting.  Report
• Grey County will purchase some land in Chatsworth, widening the road allowance to allow for utilities.  Report
• The Adopt a Road application is now more user-friendly. Report
• Council approved updates to the Accountability and Transparency Policy.  Report
• Council endorsed the Council-Staff Communications Policy. Report

Good News and Celebrations

• Maple Fest is April 13 and 14 in Holstein.
• Ribfest in Holstein is April 6 from 5-7.
• Charlie Glasspool, the music teacher at Macphail Memorial Elementary School, has accepted his nomination to sit on the Ontario Board for the Canadian Music Centre.
• Macphail Memorial Elementary School, under the leadership of Charlie Glasspool, has received a $15,000 grant for musical instruments through MusicCounts, a national music education charity.
• Councillor Desai congratulated staff on the successful Young Professionals Network event held March 27 in Thornbury.

• Georgian Bluffs will have a public announcement next Tuesday about the scheduled passenger service between the Wiarton-Keppel International Airport and Toronto.

The Clerk’s Department maintains the official record for Grey County. This publication is intended to provide meeting highlights only. For official records, please refer to the meeting minutes, or contact the Clerk’s Department at 1-800-567-4739.